|J 1961 647
AIR COMMERCE
(AC-'lls FOR BRITISH UNITED?
E January, when British United announced their readiness
^ tc order five DH Tridents and four Vickers VClOs, this inde-
endeiv. has been having second thoughts about its short-range
iiiipment needs. Last February Mr F. A. Laker, BUA's executive
irector. told Flight—not for publication at the time—that his
jairlint s interest was turning to the smaller jet projects being de-
LelopcJ by BAC, initially the BAC-107 and more recently the
jBAC-i! 1 (Flight, April 13, page 467).
I AS this issue goes to press it is expected that British United will
(place with BAC a provisional order, valued at more than £8m, for
[ten One-Elevens for delivery in 1964. It is thought unlikely that
J will at this stage place a firm order for VClOs.
COACH-AIR 748s
SIGNING the £750,000 contract for three Avro 748s on Wednes-day of last week, Mr Eric Rylands, managing director of Sky-ways Coach-Air, commented: "All of us in Skyways know that
we have bought the best aircraft for the job. Tn fact, so sure are we
of this that we are thinking of increasing the order." What this
meant, he explained, was that the Coach-Air company were think-
ine of adding one aircraft a year in 1963 and 1964. Route proving
with a production aircraft, the first of which is due to fly in June,
will begin during the coming autumn, and services will start
between Lympne and Beauvais next spring. A certificate of air-
worthiness is expected to be awarded by the ARB in August or
September.
Skyways Coach-Air are thus to be the first operator of the Avro
748, which they are to equip with 44 seats. This is the same number
as in the coaches which are used on the road part of the service
between London and Lympne and Beauvais and Paris.
Initial utilization is unlikely to exceed 1,200-1,500hr because of
limitations on night flying at Lympne. The 748s should reduce
overall journey time by about 12-15min but efforts are also being
made to speed up handling time on the ground. Although Lympne,
like most other grass fields in south-east England, suffered from
flooding last year—it was closed for a few days in the autumn—
this was the first time it had been unserviceable for nine years, and
the construction of runways is not contemplated. Skyway's man-
aging director said that traffic on the Coach-Air service was this
year 20-25 per cent greater than in 1960 and that it is hoped to carry
100,000 passengers this year. The company are interested in using
the Avro 748 on other routes if licences could be obtained, and
Skyways Ltd are also interested in operating freight services with
the Argosy. They currently hold a freight licence to serve Moscow,
subject to government approval.
Some 24 Avro 748s are now on order, four of them for India.
The remaining orders are as follows: Skyways, three; Aerolineas
Argentinas, nine; BKS, five; Aden Airways, three. Tropical trials
•vith the first prototype are to be undertaken in Cyprus in June.
The first Series 2 aircraft will be converted from the second proto-
type in mid-September and should fly in its new guise before the end
rf the year.
BEA WILL FIGHT
A RECENT leading article under this title (Flight, April 27)
iV drew attention to the reactions of the corporations to a sug-
!estion by Mr M. D. N. Wyatt, chairman of British United Airways,
hat they should discuss their future relationships. The chairman of
jOAC. Sir Matthew Slattery. agreed to meet Mr Wyatt; Lord
Jouglas of Kirtleside, chairman of BEA, refused.
Subsequently BOAC issued a statement to the effect that "our
"airman has had a friendly exchange of views with Mr Wyatt on
lr*t flight of the Breguet94l will be during the forthcoming Paris Show.
Here it is just after emerging from its hangar for the first time
This impression shows an Avro 743 in the colours of Skyways Coach-Air,
who have recently confirmed their order for three by signing the contract.
Delivery will be in the autumn
the problems thrown up by the desire of the independent operators
to operate regular services under the new Civil Aviation (Licensing)
Act." Flight commented: "Unlike BEA, BOAC have accepted
British United's simultaneous invitation to try to resolve their dif-
ferences . . . But if our new Board is to do its job properly it must
keep an eye on any sub rosa arrangements that might result, because
these might defeat the purpose for which the Board was established
—namely, to regulate, with full public accountability, Britain's
fastest-growing public service industry."
In a letter to Flight, a BOAC spokesman writes: "There is no
truth in the suggestion that BOAC have agreed to meet BUA round
a table with a view to resolving any matters that are shortly to come
before the ATLB. BOAC have certain fields in which they operate
with BUA, for example routes to east and central Africa, and there
may well be occasions when matters of mutual interest will be
discussed."
Do BOAC now feel that, in meeting BUA, they may have com-
promised their position before the Board hearings are held, and
that, by appearing to be ready to compromise, their bargaining
powers would be diminished?
As a sequel, in the House of Commons on May 1, the Minister of
Aviation. Mr Peter Thorneycroft, was asked if it was his policy that
BEA and BUA should come to a private agreement with regard to
certain British Airways routes, and whether he was aware that in
reports in the Press he had been attached to these negotiations and
that they had been successful with BOAC? The Minister replied:
"I have nothing to do with them at all."
TEAL BELONGS TO NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND is to pay Australia £NZ811,400 for its sharein Tasman Empire Airways Ltd, which will now be wholly
owned and controlled by New Zealand. The sale is effective retros-
pectively from April 1 but New Zealand is not required to com-
plete the payment before March 31, 1965. Announcing this arrange-
ment Mr McAlpine, Minister in charge of civil aviation in New
Zealand, said that TEAL would have to earmark a fleet of jet air-
craft fairly soon, whether it expanded its route network or not.
New Zealand is now free to plan expanded services to Honolulu,
the United States and to other places.
As a result of the purchase Australia and New Zealand must now
conclude a formal air service agreement giving Qantas the right to
fly to and through Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, and
the new TEAL the right to fly to and through Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane and Norfolk Island. The position was, said the Minister,
that New Zealand's new airline would develop in friendly co-opera-
tion with Qantas.
FUTURE OF THE ROTODYNE
IT has been suggested that Westland are to go ahead with theRotodyne in anticipation of Government support, that theyare not awaiting the results of the Ministry of Aviation's noise
tests held over London last month, and that "it looks as though
Westland have received an unofficial green light from the
Ministry." A Westland spokesman cannot confirm these reports,
noting that work is still going on according to the existing contract
with the Ministry.
Obviously, this contract is not likely to get the Rotodyne
developed and into production; but the Minister of Aviation, Mr
Peter Thorneycroft, is thought likely to make a statement about
the future of the Rotodyne in the next few weeks.